Tissue is typically available in two forms: facial tissue available in stacked, and commonly interleaved, form packaged in a disposable box with an outlet in the upper surface of the box; and toilet tissue available in a continuous strip of perforated sheets in rolled form. On an individual sheet basis, facial tissue is more expensive than toilet tissue, in part because of the disposable box in which the tissue is packaged.
Dispensers for rolled tissue have been suggested in the past. Commonly, dispensers for rolled tissue are adapted to be securely mounted to the wall of a bathroom. It has also been shown to provide a portable dispenser for rolled tissue as an alternative to the facial tissue box described above.
Wren U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,028 discloses a portable dispenser for rolled toilet tissue. The Wren dispenser includes a base adapted to receive a roll in rotatable condition and an outlet structure comprising a tissue constricting ring through which the tissue is fed. A bill-like projection extends out from the bottom of the outlet to assist in breaking the tissue from one another along a perforation line. A box-like cover fits over the entire assembly to improve aesthetics.
Pauley U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,452 discloses a bathroom tissue container wherein an elongate tubular support member includes an elongate slot therein with a threaded cap securably mounted to the support member overlying the slot. In a further embodiment, the Pauley patent discloses a first cylindrical container which slidingly receives thereover a second cylindrical container. The first container includes a first container support rod of a length substantially equal to the axial length of the first container and the second container. An upper terminal end of the first container support rod is receivable within a second hollow support rod axially aligned with and secured to the second cylindrical container to maintain a roll of tissue therein.
Because of their multiple parts of varying configurations, the tissue dispensers previously described tend to be expensive to manufacture and cumbersome to use. The invention of the present application overcomes these problems and others.